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In Columbus City Schools, we are SAFER TOGETHER. We are safer when we all work together to prioritize safety, when we act together to protect one another, and when we speak out together about the need to end gun violence.

The Columbus Board of Education has delcared March 14, 2018, as "Safer Together Day" throughout all Columbus City Schools.

On that day, the District will provide a leading voice in this community and join a growing chorus of school districts across the nation who share in the belief that enough is enough when it comes to gun violence and the deadly impact it is having on our young people and on our schools. Every school in the District will offer students educational, inspiring, and thought-provoking activities around promoting safety in our schools and reducing gun violence in our neighborhoods.

The day coincides with the Youth EMPOWER National School Walkout, when students, teachers, and staff across the entire country have expressed plans to walkout of their classrooms at 10:00 a.m. for 17 minutes, representing the 17 lives lost in the tragedy in Broward County, Florida. Our schools are working on how best to support our students and staff who choose to partake in the walkout and express their right to free speech.

At the same time, we are weaving that expression with an experiential educational opportunity so that all students can be part of this historic moment. Every building will create Safer Together activities, possibly including lessons on “See Something, Say Something,” conversations on social isolation or bullying, commitment to No One Eats Alone at lunch, or encouragment to students to say kind words to 17 students who they normally might not talk to.

All students and staff in Columbus City Schools will have an opportunity to be part of this bold conversation and be part of our District's bold efforts to secure an environment where we are all safer together.